Crank-shaft assembly



April 1, 1930.

G. D. WILSON CRANK SHAFTASSEMBLY Filed Jan. l8, 1928 INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Apr. 1, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE D. WILSON, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN METER COMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATTON OF DELAWARE CRANK-SHAFT ASSEMBLY Application filed January 18, 1928.

This invention relates to improvements in meter boxes, and more particularly to the mounting of the crank shaft and the construction of the crank portion of the shaft which operates the valve covers.

The shaft construction and mounting as heretofore practiced in meter boxes provided a crank having two points of bearing, one above the crank portion and one below, that above consisting of the stuffing box in the angle piece, and the one below consisting of the boot within which the end of the crank operates.

This construction necessitated a crank having two shaft portions in axial alignment, and the offset crank lying therebetween, which construction was difficult to manufacture and required extreme exactness in the operation of forming the parts. The mounting of such shaft set up a condition, when any shifting of the stuffing box or boot would occur, there would likely be a bind of the shaft, either in the stufling box or the boot, which would interfere with the free rotation of the shaft, causing faulty operation and inaccurate registering of the meter.

By my present invention, I suspend the shaft in a single bearing, and thus insure the free rotation of the same. I also provide an accurately formed and cheaply constructed crank portion for the shaft. adapted for manufacture without bending the main portion of the shaft proper.

With the above mentioned and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the ac-' Serial No. 247,692.

a meter box with my invention applied there to.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 22 Fig. 1. i

Fig. 3 is a view in top plan of a meter box with one outer wall removed, and

Fig. 4 is a view in vertical section of th crank, crank shaft and crank pin.

In the drawings, wherein like characters designate corresponding parts, 1 is a meter box, Fig. 3, with one wall removed, disclosing the inner wall 2, commonly termed a table. The space within the box 1 between the table 2 and the removed wall, provides a chamber 3, which is divided by the wall 4, rectangular in plan, the latter forming the valve and mechanism chamber 5'which is closed by a back plate 6, sealing the area between the walls 7. 8 and 9 and the upper surface of the wall 4, Figs. 1 and 2.

'In the angle of the wall 4 is placed an angle piece or plate 10, supporting stufiing box 11, extending at right angles therethrough. The surface of the plate 10 mounts a king post 12 having an angular bend 18, formed with a bearing recess overlying the stuffing box 11.

Rotatable within the stuffing box 11, extending above and below the same, with its upper end received in the bearing recess in the angular bend 13, is a crank shaft 14, the lower end of which is reduced at 15, forming a shoulder 16 and having an axial recess 15 in its reduced end to form a relatively thin and readily swaged wall.

17 indicates a crank plate formed at its opposite ends with apertures 18 and 19. Through the aperture 18 exten-dsthe reduced portion 15 of the shaft 14, with the surface of the crank plate 17 resting against the shoulder 16. In this position, the projecting reduced end of the shaft 14 is swaged at 20, tightly securing the crank plate 17 to the shaft 14, with the plate extending at right angles from the shaft, as in Fig. 4.

Upwardly through the aperture 19, in the crank 17, extends the reduced upper end 21 of crank pin 22, with the under-surface of the plate 17 engaging with the shoulder 23 on the pin 22 said pin having an axial recess 22" in its reduced end to form a relatively thin and readily swaged wall.

When thus positioned, the upper end of pin 22 is swaged at 24 to tightly secure the same 5 to the outer end of the plate 17.

Transversel throughthe lower end of the pin .22 exten s ta ipin bore 25, .in which is mounted a locking key 26, the latter holding valve arms 27 in position in the crank pin 22.

The valve arms 27 are ofconventional form and are pivotally connectedto valve covers 28, which are reciprocally associated with the respective valve seats 29.

It will be observed that any shifting between the table and angle piece will not, in any manner, interfere with the freerrotation of the shaft 14, and it will also be observed :that'by constructing the crank plate 17 and pin 22 of assembled parts, the liability of 1 throwingthe main portionofthe shaft '14 out of alignment, which often took place during the previous crank bending: operations, is entirely overcome.

5 A crank shaft assembly for operatively mounting the :pitmen of valves for meter boxes, comprising a shaft provided with areducedend portion so as to form ashoulder, said reduced end portion being axially recessed so as to provide a bendable wall, a crank plate provided with a pair of apertures,

l said plate of lesser thicknessthan the axial length of the-reduced portion of the shaft and l being snugly fitted thereover to extend laterally therefrom with the reduced portion of the shaft in positionthrough'one aperture, a crank pin ,providedwith a reduced end portion constructed similar to thereduced end portion of the shaft and extended through 40 the other of the apertures in said platedn a direction reverseto the direction of'extension of the shaft, the reducedportionsyof said shaft and crank pin made operatively integral-and resistably with said crankplate b being swaged respectively thereto, said-cram pin provided with a cylindrical axially aligned body having a transverse opening therethrough adjacent itsfree end and adapted toireceive and releasably holda locking '50 key, the said crank shaft assembly being mounted rotatably by a bearing engagement 0f the shaft and having itscrankaand crank pin; portions 'free of hearing.

In testimony whereof I have signedmy I name to this specification.

GEORGE D. WILSON. 

